Sunday, February 3, 2008

Smoking Ad from the 1940s or 50s

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/uploads/2007/05/smoking-ad.jpg

Above you will find the link to the ad I came across for this.

The ad shows a roughly 30-something woman with cigarette in hand. The ad does not show her left hand, therefore she could be single or married--a way to appeal to both groups. Besides this, the ad appeals to a sense of group identity and of the pleasures gained from smoking. This ad would have appeared in the days before surgeon generals' warnings and bans on public placement of advertisements, insuring that a large number of people would have been exposed to it. The ad could also appeal to either sex, women seeking acceptance and fun, and men seeking women who seek acceptance and fun.